The Last of Us

I was very hesitant to buy this game when it came out on PS3, because I don't usually play survival horror games, but since I am a huge fan of the Uncharted series I was sure that Naughty Dog wouldn't disappoint me with this game; and guess what? They didn’t! In fact The Last of US didn't surprise me with its high quality and great story either. It's simply another masterpiece made by one of the greatest video game companies ever.

The story is definitely the strong suit of the game and if you play video games mostly for their narratives, like I do, you're in for an absolute treat. From the very beginning to the very end, the plot is constantly drawing you in. You feel so connected to the characters that you become scared, angry, tired and disappointed with them, and when they seldom smile it is hard for you not to accompany them.

The graphics for the remastered version on PS4 are amazing and the same goes for the soundtracks. The game world is very detailed and stunningly beautiful and the lack of supplies during the whole game makes you want to explore each level as thoroughly as possible. The awesome visuals and the various caches that are spread around the corners make this exploration more enjoyable, and they decidedly encourage it.

The gameplay suits the genre perfectly and you almost always have the option to get into a fight with the enemies or sneak around the corners quietly and escape without a combat. This all depends on how many bullets you have left in your pocket and how well armored your enemies are. Sometimes even an empty bottle or a brick can draw the line between your life and death. The controls similar to the items and upgrades are minimalist and cleverly designed, but this doesn't make the gameplay become boring or repetitive at any point. You keep finding new weapons and gadgets throughout the game and this makes your survival easier and the fights more fun. One of the unique features of the game is that the weapons and items don't mysteriously disappear into the main character's pockets and you can actually see the arrows and the barrel of your rifle sticking out of the backpack. Also in order to switch between weapons that are not in the holster you would need an extra few seconds to take off your bag, open it, switch the weapons and put it back on. All of this gives a very realistic vibe to the game, which makes it even more scary in stressful situations.

Unfortunately the upgrades on your weapons and skills are not very exciting. Although the ability to craft a med kit or reload your shotgun faster by half a second might help you survive a tangled situation more easily, but the fact that the improvements are not very noticeable makes them feel boring. A better choice of these upgrades and maybe a more variety of enemies could've given a higher replay value to the game, but the reason that The Last of Us has low replay value for me personally, is simply because it's not in my favorite genre.

I am looking forward to playing the expansion pack and if you like survival horror games, or even if you don't but you enjoy playing a game with an awesome story, this is definitely the game for you.